Exclusive: Melissa Peterman Chats “Dancing Fools” with CelebSecrets4U

It’s a double header as ABC Family presents Joey Lawrence and the Harvard baseball team in the back-to-back season finale episodes of ABC Family’s “Dancing Fools,” Friday, July 5th starting AT 6pm ET/PT.

First up, Joey Lawrence, star of ABC Family’s hit comedy “Melissa and Joey,” pops in to surprise Melissa Peterman. And it’s New York vs. New York when an all-girl dance group (“The Stajettes”) from Croton on Hudson battles it out with a hilarious duo of dudes known as “The Handsome Ladies” from Peekskill for the $10,000 prize. Also, Melissa gets a special message from the other Melissa, Melissa Joan Hart (“Melissa & Joey”).

CelebSecrets4U chatted with Dancing Foolshost Melissa Peterman to get a behind-the-scenes look to ABC Family’s newest competition show. Check out the Q&A below.

What’s your favorite part about working on Dancing Fools?

M. Peterman: “Meeting the contestants. I just love genuinely—I think everyone has a story and I love meeting new people and we met some amazing people. I like hearing people’s stories and what they do and I love that and also the professional dancers that we have, I love trying to dance with them. That also makes me very happy.”

How does Dancing Fools differ from any other dance competition show that’s on television today?

M. Peterman: “Because at any given point, we could have a ten year old or a grandma or two best friends or bridesmaids or groups—at any given point, you could have a 5 year old or a 80 year old coming to dance live and compete. So, I think that’s what’s very different.”

What is your most embarrassing dance memory?

M. Peterman: “How much time do you have? Probably one of the earliest was my first dance recital and I think it must have been eight or nine or something like that and we were doing 99 Red Balloons. Imagine an eight year old girl with red turtleneck, leotards with the balloons and so, we’d rehearsed it without the balloons because we were going to carry helium balloons and then let them go right when the “da-da-da-da” started and we let them go, and I guess nobody thought that when helium balloons are released in an auditorium or a stage and they hit the lights they would all explode, and so, all these balloons just started popping and all of us were screaming but we were trying so hard to keep it together and keep dancing and I might have wet my pants. I was afraid by the balloons popping and the sounds and it was pop, pop, pop. So, that was the first, which was just a high bar to set for many years of embarrassing dance moments.

I love it when you think you’re killing it at a wedding and you’re like, “Man, everyone is watching me dance” and then you realize your dress is tucked into the back. That’s happened before. I’ve had a lot. I guess I’m not that embarrassed by it because I enjoy it so much that I figure things happen and I’m not the only one they happen to, but yes, thinking that you’re killing it and realizing that the reason they’re watching you is not the reason you think.”

Dancing Fools is a perfect show for you to host, then.

M. Peterman: “It’s a perfect show, and I love it. I love game shows. I love dancing. I imagine I’m a much better dancer in my brain and I do love to dance. These two best friends [did] a dance that they sprung at a wedding reception and it gave me so much joy to watch them because you could just tell they were having the best time ever and we could not stop watching it over and over again. We bring them to do it live and it turns out that they had said that the wedding was going to be the last time they were going to do this dance together. They’ve been best friends since they were 14, and we brought them out of retirement on Dancing Fools to redo it and they were just the nicest guys, both recently married. One’s expecting a baby. I love those stories, and they were amazing.”

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Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and exploring the latest fashion trends.